Graham's legacy will stand the test of time

On this day 95 years ago, hopes were raised and dashed as United Press reported - wrongly, as it turns out - that an armistice ending combat in World War I had been signed. The world would have to wait a few more days before the conflict that claimed 30 million dead and wounded would come to an end.

Also on this day, it was reported that a simultaneous event that claimed even more lives - perhaps as many as 100 million people, or five percent of the world's population - had spread to Western Samoa. The 1918 influenza epidemic, commonly referred to as the Spanish flu, would become one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history.

But the day was not entirely consumed by dark events. On Nov. 7, 1918, Robert Goddard demonstrated tube-launched solid propellant rockets, an event which bore the seeds of man's conquest of the heavens.

And on Nov. 7, 1918, Morrow and William Franklin Graham Sr. greeted the birth of their first son, Billy.

Today at the Grove Park Inn, Billy Graham will celebrate his 95th birthday along with hundreds of well-wishers.

The man can still draw a crowd.

There's a reason for that.

We'll pause at this point and dispense with the standard disclaimer: the Rev. Graham is not perfect. He has, for example, confessed, repeatedly, that at times he got too close to politicians and presidents. At times his name has been uncomfortably attached to some of the hot-button culture wars that have scarred our era.

But in the record of his life, those are asides. A caveat to the above disclaimer is to note he was a pioneer in supporting integrated seating at his revivals; he preached jointly with Martin Luther King Jr., and also bailed him out of jail.

Our bottom line regarding Rev. Graham: He has unerringly demonstrated a humility and decency that has all too often been sadly lacking among high-profile religious leaders on the American scene, leaders bent on self-promotion and self-aggrandizement who use their faith as a get-out-of-jail-free card, an excuse to justify less than honorable actions.

Graham has, for decades, steered clear of the sort of hucksterism one can find on any number of cable channels today.

Instead, he cut his teeth and made his fame on what is becoming something of a lost art - personal pitches to huge crowds at venues around the globe in his trademark crusades. It's estimated that Graham's lifetime audience is more than two billion people.

Billion, with a "b."

Along the way he's consistently been ranked highly by the Gallup polling organization on its list of most admired men and women. In fact, he's made the list more times than any other human on the planet, including one streak of 49 consecutive years.

Along the way he has unerringly offered the same message - regardless of how badly you've mangled your life, there's a chance to start over. It's a very powerful message. And it's no surprise that in this country, which considers itself the land of second chances, it has resonated for decades.

Today's event won't see the curtain drop on Graham. He'll unveil a video ministry program called "My Hope America, with Billy Graham," which his son, Franklin Graham, said will be released on about 120 television stations across the country. "We have about 25,000 churches participating in the programming," Franklin Graham said. "It may be the largest evangelistic effort in the history of our country."

Still, 95 years and a lot of mileage will have an effect on anyone, and Billy Graham is no exception. He hasn't preached publicly since 2006. And as he's been out of the spotlight, his importance has dimmed on an America wired to instant information.

A 2005 Gallup Poll showed 45 percent of young adults were only passingly familiar with Graham; a 2007 poll found 30 percent of those younger than 30 didn't even know who he is.

To those, we hope this humble missive has helped.

And to Rev. Graham, we'll add our voice to the throng gathering today.

Happy birthday.

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Graham's legacy will stand the test of time

On this day 95 years ago, hopes were raised and dashed as United Press reported ? wrongly, as it turns out ? that an armistice ending combat in World War I had been signed.